Tag: happiness

How will you spend your time, emotions, and brainpower in the new year? From becoming emotionally involved in politics to the drama in what neighbors are buying, my father recognized that distractions could be a key source of why many struggle to become financially independent or achieve other goals. He gave us this advice on financial fitness last January: […]

A multimillionaire once defined what it means to be wealthy. Wealth is not only about money but Good health, longevity, happiness, a loving family, self-reliance, fine friends, if you [have] five, you’re a rich man. The Millionaire Next Door

David, a straight “A” undergraduate student of mine, once invited me over to his apartment for his wife’s “famous Sunday chili dinner.” While driving to his apartment, I realized that they lived in what could be called the “poor side” or “industrial” part of town. He and his wife, both 23, had two small children. David was the […]

What explains happiness in life? I don’t have all the answers. But, as a review of both my books and blogs, happiness in life has little to do with the brand/price of the watch one wears, the stores one patronizes, the make of car one drives or the brand of vodka one consumes. One’s overall happines […]

From time to time I like to share some of the notes and e-mails I receive from millionaires in hopes that you may gain insight into to the lifestyles of these self made, financially independent people. One such profile came from a respondent to my latest national survey. You may find Mrs. T and her […]

An excellent article in The Wall Street Journal by Alex P. Kellogg, “BMW Touts ‘Joy,’ Value in New Ads,” Saturday/Sunday, February 13-14, 2010, highlights the changes in the advertising themes of several prestige manufacturers of automobiles. It seems that status is out and satisfaction, value and physical properties are being emphasized. Acura is now touting […]

How do I categorize millionaires who inherited all or most of their wealth? I do not consider them to be fortunate. Actually, I think of them as being deprived. They were deprived of the great pride, joy and satisfaction derived from building one’s own fortune. Countless millionaires have told me that it is the journey to wealth […]

More from our millionaire next door in the Southwest – Part II of the Millionaire Next Door story I received last month. We read in Part I that our “scientist of wealth” became a millionaire while his annual income was $78,000 and now has a net worth of $2.4 million. He and his wife did not/do not act rich, and […]

Case studies are a critical part of my research on millionaires and the affluent. Below is the first part of a Millionaire Next Door story I received last month from a “scientist of wealth.” As you will see, you do not have to have a seven figure income to become a millionaire. A Letter from […]

Why is it that some people worth $10 million, $20 million, $30 million own few or no luxuries whatsoever? They know that satisfaction in life is not a function of what you can buy in a store. As you will come to learn in these pages, these people were conditioned by their parents to live […]